Sunday, August 3, 2008

Last night we went out for dinner with AP and UT and Uncle Mac. Joey went with us. Alex would have gone, but he was working. Joey usually stays home, but decided to come along. That was nice.

After dinner we sat around the table talking since the restaurant wasn't very busy by that time. Even though we're all family and talk often, we still find things to talk about. Figure that one out. Peg (Ted's sister) and Mac (her husband, our brother in law) will be moving next door to us once their house is finished in early spring. And then all three of our families will be together. Maybe we'll be able to pretend it's the olden days and when a 5 day blizzard hits we can all huddle together in one house to stay warm. Even if the power goes out, we have a gas fireplace and Ted has assured me many times that we will be able to keep warm in the living room if need be. We could sit and play games by candlelight.

Anyway, back to summer here. After dinner, we told them that we were going to have a fire on our back patio and that they were welcome to come over.

We have a small fire pit set. It has four nice, big, comfy chairs and a table with a square copper bowl in the center. We don't have fires nearly as often as I would like, but at least we get a little use out of it.

We got home. Alex got home from work. Ted gathered up the kindling and a few small logs. Joey put in some wadded up newspaper and then lit a match.

It takes a little bit of playing with to get it going right and that's what I enjoy doing. I usually save a rather sturdy stick from the kindling and use that as my poker throughout the night. The responsibility of keeping the fire going rests squarely on my shoulders...and I love it.

(Hmmm...are we seeing a recurring theme here? the gas fireplace inside, playing games by candlelight, and a firepit in the back....interesting)

The flames can be mesmerizing at times. They look so stoic as they curl up around the logs. Sometimes they come up from both sides and just barely kiss each other on top of the wood. Then there's the occasional crackle and a piece of ash wafts up...it's enough to fall in love with the fire. Not to mention the slightest hint of smoke in the air and the aroma that accompanies it.

Taking the "poker" and moving the logs and kindling around can be quite a daunting task, you know. I have to make sure that the logs and embers actually STAY in the pit, or at least ON the table. I also want the wood at the bottom to get enough air to continue to burn. Then there's the spacing issue. I prefer that the wood not all be together side by side, but spaced out and angled if possible.

You see, I take my position as Chief Pyromaniac very seriously.

Don't ask me any questions though. I don't know anything about wood. I don't know what kind burns best or fastest. I don't know how long it has to sit out to become seasoned. I don't know which will crackle the most or the least.